Knockdown box.



1. NAYLOR & H. BJRUGGLES.

KNOGKDOWN BOX. APPLICATION FILED PEBJG, 1912.

Patented May 5, 1914.

vlllllll'vi UMTED STATE PATENT @FFTQE.

ISAAC NAYLOR AND HENRY B. RUGGLES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TOAMERICAN PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

KNOCKDOWN BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMay 5, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ISAAC NAYLOR and HENRYB. Ruccnns, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Knockdown Boxes, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to improvements in methods of manufacturing boxesand particularly to the style of box made up of more or less flexiblematerial such as pulp board, fiber board and other composition productsreinforced at the edges and corners by stifiening members consisting ofwooden strips or other rigid members.

The particular object of our invention is to produce a box of simplemechanical construction which can be manufactured with the minimumamount of hand labor through the employment of suitable machinery.

A further object of our invention is to produce a box that can bemanufactured and shipped in flat or knocked down form and that willmaintain its parts in proper relation for completion so that whenreceived by the user it may be effectively and accurately put togetherwith cheap labor and great rapidity, thus producing a product ofeconomical manufacture.

A still further and important objectof our invention is to produce a boxthat when completed and filled cannot be opened or have its contentspilfered or tampered with without clearly indicating the fact.

In the accompanying drawing we have illustrated a preferred adaptationof our invention in the following views Figure 1 shows in perspectivetwo of the connected members and the fragment of a third which enterinto the formation of our complete box; Fig. 2 shows the sides of thebox in their operative or assembled relation without the topin place;Fig. 3 is a cross-section enlarged showing the connection between theflexible material and the stiffening side strips, and-Fig. 4 is anenlarged sectional detail of one of the corners of a box constructedaccording to our improved method.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 5 represents a sheet of pulp orfiber board of any suitable composition and thickness and of suchproportions as are necessary to form the sides of a rectangular box orreceptacle. The side edges of this sheet are secured in any suitablemanner in grooves 6 which extend longitudinally of wood strips 6 formingcleats rectangular in cross section, as shown in Fig. 3. This method ofattaching sheets of fiber or pulp board to corner pieces in manufacturedboxes is the subject of a patent and forms no part of our invention. Inthe manufacture of our improved boxes the strips 6 are attached in themanner de-. scribed t0 the opposite longitudinal edges of a sheet offiber or pulp board so that they are parallel to each other and the fiatmember thus produced is run through a suitable machine which outstransversely away or miters the strips 6 at intervals as shown at 6These mitered cuts do not extend the entire depth of the strips 6 butleave intact a portion of the wood as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The miteris also cut in steps or zig zag so that the opposed faces at the ends ofthe strips thus cut will interfit when the strips are arranged at rightangles to each other, and produce a substantially closed joint of theform indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. These mitered cuts are formed in thecleat strips at points exactly opposite, and extending between each ofthe joints thus formed, the sheet of pulp or fiber board is scored orcut partially through in line with the bottom of the mitered cut in thestrips 6 as shown at 5 v The structure in the fiat form above de scribedmay be sent to the user who, on desiring to construct a box, will foldthe sections bounded by the partially separated strips 6 and the scoredlines 5*, at right angles to each other, in so doing breaking the fibersof the wood left at the bottom of the joints formedby the rabbetingoperations, and thus closing the joints at the ends of the severalsections of the strips 6 as clearly disclosed in Fig. 4:. The box isthen completed by attaching rigid angular corner strips or battens 7 ofwood or other suitable material which fit over the j oints' at the endsof the sections 6 and are nailed thereto, the nails penetrating thefiber 0r pulp and when it becomes hardened after cooling or setting, ifany of the corner strips or battens 7 should be removed, some of thesealing compound would be broken away and thus disclose the fact thatone of the strips 7 had been removed and the box opened by anunauthorized person, thus constituting a protective means whereby theunlawful tampering with the package or contents may be discovered andpossibly,

traced.

In practice we will prefer to leave an end of the sheet of pulp boardprojecting to form a flange or tongue 5 and the member or section onwhich this flange left will form the cover of the box and will be thelast section to be secured by a corner strip 7. The tongue 5 may befolded within the continguous side of the'box as shown in Fig. 2 or maybe folded on the outside provided it does not extend beyond the edges ofthe corner strip 7 applied at that portion of the receptacle.

The ends 8 of the box are each made of a single piece of the samematerial from which the sides of the box are formed and are placed inposition against the inner faces of the strips 6 when in their folded orcompleted arrangement. These bottom pieces may be secured in place inany suitable manner and if desired they may be of wood or of heaviermaterial than the sides of the box so as to give the receptacle greatrigidity or resistance against crushing strains.

It will be apparent that with a box constructed substantially as abovedescribed, it will be practically impossible to detect the joint atwhich the edge of the cover is found as all corners are completelycovered and concealed by the battens 7, hence if any one attempted toget at the contents of the receptacle to pilfer same he would be at aloss to know which of the battens to re move and unless regardless offear of discovery that the package had been tampered with, might have toremove four battens before he could reach the joint at which the flangeor tongue 5 was folded.

As above stated, the removal of a batten 7, even though the nails wouldbe carefully withdrawn by suitable tools, would cause the more or lessbrittle compound filler 9 to break off and thus disclose to theconsignee of the box that it had been tampered with in transit.

In applying the sealing compound it may be permitted to overflow thecorner opening formed in the manner provided, and before hardening thesurplus compound projecting at the joint formed at the corners may havea suitable seal applied thereto and this seal would be broken byremoving any one of the battens 7. The seal arrangement referred to isindicated at 9 in Fig. 2.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new, is

1. A knock-down box composed of side members of a sheet of flexible andbendable material, and wood cleats secured to the opposite edges of saidside members, said cleats being partially cut through at spacedintervals to form mitered and hinged joints, means for securing saidside members and cleats in folded relation, and separate end members forsaid box.

2. In a box, side members of foldable material, and cleats of rigidmaterial secured to the edges of said side members, said cleats beingcontinuous but partially severed at intervals to form mitered and hingedjoints at the corners of the box when said sidemem- 'bers are folded,and means for securing said side members and cleats in their folded relation.

3. A box member consisting of a sheet of pulp or fiber board or similarmaterial having secured to two of its edges continuous rigid strips,said strips partially out through at intervals to provide mitered jointswhen the cleats thus formed are arranged at right angles to each other.

4. A box consisting of a sheet of pulp or fiber board or similarmaterial having secured to two of its longitudinal edges, continuousstrips of wood partially cut through at intervals to form miteredjoints, and said pulp or fiber board scored along lines corre spondingto said mitered joints, and means for securing said members in theirfolded relation to form the sides of a box.

A box consisting of a sheet of flexible material, continuous strips ofrigid material secured to the opposite longitudinal edges of the sheet,said strips being partially cut away to form mitered joints when thesections resulting from said cuts are arranged at right angles to eachother, battens embracing said sections at their jointed ends andextending from the corners at one end of the box to the corners at theopposite end, and end pieces arranged on the inside of the box andsupported by the end strips.

6. In a box, side members consisting of a continuous sheet of suitablematerial scored at intervals to facilitate bending, cleats secured tosaid sheet and consisting of continuous strips of suitable material,partially In testimony whereof We affix our signasevered at intervals tofacilitate bending, tures in the presence of two Witnesses.

means for securing said sheet and strips ISAAC NAYLOR. When bent to forma rectangular structure, HENRY B. RUGGLES. end pieces secured to saidcleats and means Witnesses:

for sealing the joints at the corners of said F. BENJAMIN,

structure. M. A. MILORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

